A Social-Ecological Perspective for Emerging Cities: The Case of the Corniche Promenade, ‘Urban Majlis’ of Doha

Abstract

In the past decade the capital city of Doha of the State of Qatar has experienced rapid urban expansion and other changes due to globalization, which has caused (i) the loss of a compact urban pattern, (ii) landscape fragmentation, and (iii) a deficiency of green spaces. Therefore, as envisioned by Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV-2030), the State of Qatar plans to invest substantial funds into the urban regeneration of the built environment, along with the development of large areas of public parks as a means of promoting more sustainable urban development and enhancing city residents’ well-being. Accessibility contributes to the usability of public facilities on the part of the neighborhood community, thus enhancing city dwellers’ well-being. Nonetheless, the authors argue, the urban network along Doha’s Corniche promenade, the dominant open public space and spine of the city, lacks connectivity at various scales of space. Therefore, this research study aims to assess the existing conditions of Doha’s Corniche and recommends strategies for implementing its integration into the newly emerging city’s urban fabric. The findings, revealed through a network-analysis investigation based on graph theory, allows us to generate a framework for shaping open public spaces, promoting higher living standards through a green-network system planned at the city scale. The proposed framework addresses social-ecological challenges of the distinctive public open space and helps define an approach for (i) tailoring the accessibility of public open spaces to their surroundings, and (ii) enhancing city dwellers’ well-being.